What Is Worship

John 4:23-24

23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

INTRODUCTION

There are many venues in which a person can approach religion.

There are many different styles and ways of worship

But whatever venue or style of worship you choose, you must choose a way that pleases God. God seeks those that will worship both in Spirit and in Truth.

It is possible to worship God in the Spirit, and not in Truth

It is also possible to worship God in Truth with no Spirit behind the worship

And then of course it is possible to choose a venue or style of worship that neither has Spirit or Truth.

Jesus spoke about 2 ways that we could choose. He called them gates.

Matthew 7:13-14Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

One gate was straight and narrow

One gate was wide and broad

One way led to life, the other to destruction

Some hold to the philosophy that says you go your way, I’ll go my way and we will all get to the same place.

But that philosophy contradicts the teachings of Jesus

John 10:1-2

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

And this agrees with our text scripture where God seeks those that will worship in Truth.

WORSHIPING IN TRUTH

Truth is a very often-maligned word in the English language

In the schools and in general society today there is a push towards the philosophy that there is no absolute truth.

That philosophy is erroneous though, because there are absolute truths in mathematics, in nature, and in life.

The area where the philosophy is trying to be injected, is in the areas of morality and religion.

In an effort to justify immorality, one must get everyone else to believe there is no such thing as morality.

How many of you know that the greatest deception that Satan has ever orcastrated is in the works right now? His greatest efforts right now are to get the world to believe that he doesn’t even exist.

In an effort to justify a certain affinity towards religion the popular approach is that there is no true religion,

Which leads us back to the thought…

You go your way and I’ll go mine and everything is fine and dandy.

and a contradiction to the teachings of Christ.

Now, we need to be careful that we are not being man-pleasers, but God-pleasers

Worshiping in truth will sometimes make people angry.

Jesus knew that in order to be popular He had to compromise his principals and he said it like this in LUKE 6:26

Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.

A true child of God will have times they just make people angry because they stick to the principles of the book, the Word of God, because they have a desire to worship God in Truth

And society and religion do not always agree with the Word of God

Jesus said himself in Matt 7:21-27

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Not everyone who calls the name of the Lord will be saved!

They certainly can be saved but it takes those who are willing to do the will of the Father!

Jesus went on:

22Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. 24Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.